Valves for liquid dispensing fountains



May 26, 1970 T. J. PUEGNER ET AL 3,514,075

VALVES FOR LIQUID DISPENSING FOUNTAINS Filed Jan. 29, 1968 PIG-lll! 4 5 fi INVENTOR5 THOMAS J\ uE6NF2 @r' RKJHARD N-BRANDON United States Patent 3,514,075 VALVES FOR LIQUID DISPENSING FOUNTAINS Thomas J. Puegner and Richard N. Brandon, Warren, Ohio, assignors to The Halsey W. Taylor Company, Warren, Ohio Filed Jan. 29, 1968, Ser. No. 701,158 Int. Cl. F16]; 51/00 US. Cl. 251156 12 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A valve for use in push-down glass filling operations wherein a straight-down movement of the glass is utilized to actuate the valve, and wherein the valve actuator has pivot connection with the valve body, the connection being made and broken only when the actuator is out of its operative position.

Heretofore, the valves in push-down glass fillers has not been very smooth in action, with the result that considerable pressure had to be exerted through the glass to operate the valve. This was objectionable, since moist or wet hands were likely to slip on the glass and thus set up what could be hazardous conditions. In construction where the glass was pushed against the valve actuator, the glass at times would be moved out of the path of the issuing liquid stream. These and other objections have been overcome by our invention.

In the drawing accompanying this specification and forming a part of this application, there is shown, for purpose of illustration, an embodiment which our invention may assume, and in this drawing:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view taken through the valve and dispensing section of a liquid dispenser,

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section corresponding to the line 2-2 of FIG. 1, but drawn to a slightly smaller scale, and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of parts of the pivot connection.

Our invention is best suited for use with a water dispenser which may include water cooling equipment, not shown, although the invention is not limited to this combination. In any event, the dispenser includes a basin of any suitable configuration for collecting waste water and leading it to a drain (not shown) in the usual manner.

Our improved valve and dispensing mechanism is preferably mounted on a ledge 11 which is located near a side of the basin. A valve body structure 12 is supported from the ledge in any suitable manner and in the disclosed embodiment comprises a valve body 14 and an adapter 15.

The valve body 14 is provided with a liquid inlet 16 and a liquid outlet 17. The body is threaded over a nipple 18 which extends through an opening in the ledge 11. A sealing washer 19 is preferably interposed between the lower end of the valve body 14 and the upper surface of the ledge. A similar washer 20 is interposed between the lower surface of the ledge and a clamping nut 21, the latter connecting a pipe 22 to the nipple and drawing the valve body downwardly to efiecti'vely hold the latter in position and to seal the opening in the ledge. The pipe 22 leads to a suitable source of water under pressure, such as the customary water main.

A valve assembly 23 is carried by the valve body 14 to control flow of water from the inlet 16 to the outlet 17. This assembly comprises a plug 24 which is threaded into the upper end of the body in vertical alignment with the inlet opening. The plug 24 has a bottom opening in communication with the inlet opening and lateral ports 25 3,514,975 Patented May 26, 1970 which lead to a peripheral chamber 26, the latter being in communication with the outlet port 17.

A valve stem 27 extends through a central opening in the plug 24, and a valve disc 27.1 is carried by the lower end of the stem in position to engage the lower end of the plug. The central opening in the plug 24 is enlarged at 28 to house a spring 29 which is interposed between a shoulder formed by the opening enlargement, and a shoulder portion 30 of the valve stem, to normally urge the stem upwardly and to seal the valve disc against the lower end of the valve body to interrupt flow of water from the inlet to the outlet. In the embodiment disclosed, the pressure of the water reacts against the lower end of the valve disc 27.1 to also urge the latter to interrupt flow of water.

The upper end of the valve stem 27 is preferably formed with a flat disc-like head 31 for abutment with a valve actuator 32. As herein disclosed, a button 33 is carried by the head 31 to reduce friction between the latter and the actuator 32. The button may be formed of Teflon, or the like, and may have a shank portion received within an opening in the head with a friction fit.

The valve actuator 32 is herein shown as a flat, metallic plate which is pivotally carried by the valve body structure, and more particularly as in the disclosed embodiment, is carried by the adapter 15. As best seen in FIG. 3, the rear portion of the actuator has leg means 35 which fit within a circular opening 36 in the adapter to form a pivot. More particularly, the rear portion of the actuator is formed with a marginal recess 37 which provides confronting legs 3838.

The adapter 15 is provided with a slot 39 leading to the opening 36 and the spacing between the legs 3838 is considerably less than the width of the adapter, so that the legs must be slid through the slot 39 in order to position the legs in pivotal relation within the opening. In order to enhance the pivotal connection, a bearing rod 40, preferably of Delrin, may be rotatably mounted within the opening 36. As best seen in FIG. 3, the rod had diametn'cal slots 4141 entering its opposite ends, the slots bieng of sufiicient size to snugly receive respective legs 38. The rod 40 may be inserted end-wise within the opening and then rotated so that its slots 41 align with the slot 39 in the adapter 15. In this relationship, the legs 3838 of the adapter 32 may be moved through the adapter slot 39 to position within the rod slots 41. When the actuator is thereafter swung from this relationship, the pivot is locked against disassembly.

The actuator plate 32 is normally held in a substantially horizontal position, as seen in FIG. 1, in abutment with the button 33 of the valve head 30. Thus, the are 43 through which the contact point of the actuator plate moves is substantially coincidental with the vertical straight movement of the valve stem 27, and little friction is generated when the actuator plate is depressed (as by the glass G) to open the valve and provide for dispensing of water. A flow regulator 43 of any suitable construction, may be interposed in the outlet 17 to control the stream of dispensed water. The regulator may take the form of a cylindrical member rotatably disposed crosswise of the outlet 17 and provided witha port 44 which selectively restricts the effective size of the outlet port.

The actuator plate is formed with an opening through which waste portions of the dispensed water may pass, such for example, the drippings following a glass filling operation. In the present embodiment, a relatively wide slot 54 extends from the margin of the actuator plate toward the center of the actuator plate.

As seen in FIG. 1, the actuator plate has limited pivotal movement, and in any event the disc-like head 31 would bottom on the valve assembly 23 before the actuator has been swung downwardly enough to align the legs 38-38 with the slots 39 in the adapter 15. Accordingly, it is necessary to swing the actuator plate horizontally to a position shown in dot-dash lines in FIG. 2 in order to clear it for sufiicient downward swinging movement to disassemble the pivot connection. It will be understood that the connection is also assembled when the actuator plate is so swung. The adapter 15 has its lower end threaded into the valve body 14 to provide for the limited horizontal swinging movement of the actuator plate 32. If desired, the adapter 15 may be removed entirely from the valve body, and this also removes the actuator plate 32, so that a person may then operate the valve by pressing downwardly on the head 31.

A dispensing tube 55 normally extends upwardly from the adapter 15 and has a downwardly curved upper end which is generally aligned with the slot 44 in the actuator plate 32. In the event the adapter 15 is removed from the valve body, the dispensing tube is then threaded into the valve body at the outlet opening.

In view of the foregoing it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that we have accomplished at least the principal object of our invention and it will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiment herein described may be variously changed and modified, without departing from the spirit of the invention, and that the invention is capable of uses and has advantages not herein specifically described; hence it will be appreciated that the herein disclosed embodiment is illustratve only, and that our invention is not limited thereto.

We claim:

1. A valve for use with a liquid dispensing fountain in push-down glass filling operations, comprising a valve body having an inlet connectable to a source of liquid under pressure and also having a threaded vertically ex tending outlet, a valve member within said valve body for controlling flow of liquid from said inlet to said outlet, said valve member being operable along a vertical axis and normally urged upwardly to interrupt flow of liquid from said inlet to said outlet, an adapter having a vertical opening therethrough with its inlet end connected to the outlet of said valve body, a vertically disposed dispensing tube having its lower end connected to the outlet of said adapter opening and having its upper end turned downwardly, a valve actuator overlying said valve member and adapted to operate the same, said actuator being pivotally carried by said adapter, the pivot connection comprising a circular opening in said adapter and leg means on said actuator and fitting within said opening.

2. The construction of claim 1 wherein said adapter is provided with a slot leading to the interior of said circular opening, and wherein said leg means must be moved through said slot to said circular opening in order to complete the pivot connection.

3. The construction of claim 2 wherein said slot is angled downwardly toward said valve member so that the latter prevents suflicient downward movement of said actuator to provide for withdrawal of said leg means through said slot.

4. The construction of claim 3 wherein the inlet end of said adapter has threaded connection with the outlet of said valve body to provide for horizontal swinging of said actuator to a position clear of interference with said valve member and wherein said actuator may be moved downwardly sufiiciently to permit withdrawal of said leg means from said slot.

5. The construction of claim 3 wherein said actuator is a flat plate having a marginal recess with confronting legs to provide said leg means.

'6. The construction of claim 5 wherein said flat plate is formed with an opening at its margin to pass waste water issuing from the outlet end of said dispensing tube.

7. The construction of claim 5 wherein a circular bearing is disposed within said circular opening, said bearing having slots in its opposite ends which must be aligned with said adapter slot and said confronting legs in order to complete the pivot connection.

8. A valve for use with a liquid dispensing fountain in push-down glass filling operations, comprising a valve body having an inlet connectable to a source of liquid under pressure and also having an outlet, a valve member within said body for controlling flow of liquid from said inlet to said outlet, said valve member being operabel along a vertical axis and normally urged upwardly to interrupt flow of liquid from said inlet to said outlet, an adapter carried by said body and having an opening therethrough, one end of said opening being in communication with the outlet opening of said valve body and the other end being in communication with the inlet end of a dispensing tube which extends upwardly and has an outlet end turned downwardly, a valve actuator pivotally carried by said adapter to overlie said valve member and abutable with a portion thereof so that a glass to be filled may be pressed downwardly against said actuator to move the latter downwardly which in turn moves said valve member downwardly to permit flow of liquid through said dispensing tube and downwardly into said glass, said adapter being removable from said valve body to thereby also remove said valve actuator so that said valve member may be manually pressed downwardly, said dispensing tube, when said adapter is removed, being positioned with its inlet end in communication with the outlet of said valve body.

9. A valve for use with a liquid dispensing fountain, comprising valve body structure having an inlet connectable to a source of liquid under pressure and also having an outlet, a valve member within said body structure for controlling flow of liquid from said inlet to said outlet, a swingable valve actuator in normal position disposed for operating said valve member, and a pivotal connection formed by interfitting parts of said body structure and said actuating member to provide for swinging movement of the latter to elfect operation of said valve member, said parts being complementarily configured requiring that they be in a predetermined pivoted relationship in order to permit them to be separated, said parts when relatively pivoted from said predetermined relationship interlocking to preevnt their separation and thereby maintain said pivotal connection, said valve actuator in its said normal position preventing relative pivoted movement of said parts to said predetermined pivotal relationship.

10. A valve for use with a liquid dispensing fountain, comprising valve body structure having an inlet vertical swinging movement, said horizontal pivot being shiftable about a vertical axis to dispose said actuator member to another position wherein its said other end is clear of overlying relation with said valve member, said horizontal pivot being formed by interfitting parts of said body structure and said actuator member, said parts when relatively pivoted from said predetermined relationship interlocking to prevent their separation and thereby maintain said pivotal connection, the limited movement of said actuator member in its normal position preventing said parts from being relatively pivoted to said predetermined relationship, and said actuator member in its said other position having suflicient swinging movement to permit said parts to be relatively pivoted to said predetermined relationship to provide for their separation.

'11. A valve for use with a liquid dispensing fountain, comprising a valve body structure having an inlet connectable to a source of liquid under pressure and also having an outlet, a valve member within said body structure for controlling flow of liquid from said inlet to said outlet, a valve actuator member having a flat body portion formed with a T-shaped recess extending inwardly from a margin thereof and providing a pair of flat confronting spaced legs at said margin, and said body structure having an elongated bore of a length greater than the spacing between said legs and into which the latter fit to provide a pivotal connection between said body structure and said valve actuator and thereby provide for movement of the free end of the latter to effect operation of said valve member, said body structure having a flat-shaped slot leading into said bore and through which said legs must pass for disposition within said bore.

'12. The construction of claim 11 wherein said valve member is movable along a vertical line and said pivotal connection is disposed horizontally so that the free end of said actuator member overlies said valve member and may be moved along said vertical line, said slot being angled downwardly and said actuator member free end being limited in downward movement by said valve member so that said fiat legs may not be aligned therewith, said horizontal pivot being swingable about a vertical axis to swing said free end clear of said valve member whereby it may be moved downwardly sufiiciently to align said flat legs with said slot to provide for assembly and disassembly of said legs with said slot.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,393,300 11/1921 McNutt 251-156 1,923,585 7/1933 Reeves 251-241 M. CARY NELSON, Primary Examiner W. R. CLINE, Assistant Examiner 

